# Thomas O’Neill

> Thomas P. O’Neill III is the Boston-based founder and chief executive of O’Neill and Associates and a founding partner of Seven Letter. A former Massachusetts state representative and lieutenant governor, he built a public affairs career connecting government relations with communications and has maintained longstanding educational and cultural commitments, including Cristo Rey Boston and the Abbey Theatre’s Boston supporters.

- **Role:** Founder and Chief Executive Officer at O’Neill and Associates
- **Organizations:** O’Neill and Associates, Seven Letter, Massachusetts House of Representatives (former), Office of the Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts (former), Cristo Rey Boston, Boston Irish Abbey Theatre Association
- **From:** Cambridge, United States
- **Nationality:** American
- **Education:** Bachelor’s degree, Boston College, Master of Public Administration, Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government, North Cambridge Catholic High School
- **Known for:** Created and administered Massachusetts’ Office of Federal-State Relations in Boston and Washington., Founded O’Neill and Associates in 1991, integrating government relations and communications., Founding trustee and chair emeritus of Cristo Rey Boston; honored for school advocacy in 2024.

## Career timeline

- **1973-1974** — Represented Cambridge and Belmont in the Massachusetts House of Representatives.
- **1975-1983** — Served as lieutenant governor of Massachusetts and created and administered its Office of Federal-State Relations.
- **1991** — Founded O’Neill and Associates.
- **2013** — Hosted an Abbey Theatre Foundation dinner with Shelly O’Neill while chairing its Boston chapter.
- **2020** — Became a founding partner of Seven Letter following the combination of strategic communications practices.
- **2024** — Honored alongside Marty Walsh at Cristo Rey Boston’s twentieth-anniversary Academic Signing Day.

## Achievements

- Created and administered Massachusetts’ Office of Federal-State Relations in Boston and Washington.
- Founded O’Neill and Associates in 1991, integrating government relations and communications.
- Founding trustee and chair emeritus of Cristo Rey Boston; honored for school advocacy in 2024.
- First president of the Boston Irish Abbey Theatre Association, as recorded in his official biography.

## Latest updates

- **2026-03** — The firm’s spring newsletter reported its federal team’s World Cup transit-readiness coalition of 24 agencies across 11 U.S. host cities; this is a firm-level development.
- **2025-10** — The firm welcomed Cristo Rey Boston work-study students and reaffirmed sponsorship dating to 2004.
- **2025-05** — Cristo Rey Boston published a speech crediting O’Neill and Marty Walsh with helping transform and relocate the school.

## Links

- Website: https://oneillandassoc.com/team/thomas-p-oneill-iii
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toneill3

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/thomas-oneill
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-06